Expression of the Embryonic Cancer Stem Cells' Biomarkers SOX2 and OCT3/4 in Oral Leukoplakias and Squamous Cell Carcinomas: A Preliminary Study.

Introduction: Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are incriminated for initiating the process of carcinogenesis either de novo or through the transformation of oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) to oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). The aim of this study was to detect the expression of embryonic-type CSC markers OCT3/4 and SOX2 in OSCCs and oral leukoplakias (OLs), the most common of OPMDs.

Materials And Methods: The study type is experimental, and the study design is characterized as semiquantitative research, which belongs to the branch of experimental research.

Aldehyde Dehydrogenase: An Off-Label Marker of Endothelial Activation in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

The vascular endothelial (VE) expression of aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) 1/2 family in oral leukoplakia (OL) and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cases has not been studied so far. The aim of this study was to illustrate the "off-label" endothelial expression of cancer stem cell (CSC) biomarker, ALDH1/2, adjacent to oral potentially malignant and malignant lesions in order to shed some light on the mechanisms leading to oral carcinogenesis.  Materials and methods: The expression of CSC protein-biomarker ALDH1/2 was detected through immunohistochemistry (IHC) in 30 paraffin-embedded samples of OL and 21 samples of OSCC compared to five samples of normal oral mucosa.